What is your role in CHESS? I’m playing Anatoly, the Russian chess champion. He is passionate and thoughtful, and has dedicated his entire life to the game of chess. He hates the politics and propaganda that he constantly has to deal with and wishes he could be free of those distractions, allowing him to simply concentrate on the game. Not long after meeting Florence, his opponent’s second, the two fall in love. His love for Florence forces him to make some very difficult choices throughout the show.
What is your background in theatre? At Walterdale? I’ve been involved in theatre for about 5 years now, and absolutely love it! I have made some of the best friends I have ever had through theatre, and I’m constantly amazed by what wonderful people the Edmonton theater community is made of. I have never had the pleasure of doing a show at Walterdale, but have seen many shows here and wanted to perform here for years. I can’t wait!
What brought you out for this show? What drew you to it? I had the pleasure of working with Sally Hunt (our musical director) on a show a couple of years ago, so when I heard her speaking about this show I immediately looked into it, and instantly fell in love with the amazing music, story, and characters. Anatoly is such a pleasure to play, and his songs are some of the best that I have ever had the chance to learn.
Why do you think audiences should come see this show? What do you think they will take away from it? The music is really amazing, with examples of thus about every style all wrapped up into one show. Classic musical theatre, pop songs, ballads, rap… It’s all in there and beautifully written. The cast is packed with truly gifted performers, all working very hard to bring this show to life, and I think audiences will be blown away with what they see and hear.
Chess is a Board Game… What’s your favorite Board Game? Why? Got any funny game-playing stories? We have recently began having some family Monopoly games, and my kids have a ball playing it. Last time we had a game my middle daughter Lilly went so far as to prepare herself by applying war paint to her face before we started! It was hilarious!